As a career reporter, and by definition a writer of sorts, people watching is one of my favorite pursuits.

I'm not trying to make fun of anybody. Heaven knows I do enough silly, clumsy or just plain stupid things to keep the world giggling for weeks at a time.

Having said that, I do love people watching, and this time of the year one of my favorite places to conduct this pastime is any large grocery store.

As a father of seven and the grandfather of a full-on mob, I learned long ago about the joys of watching a small person discover something new.

Whether it is a newborn investigating the wonder of fingers — "Wow! Look at these things! They move and everything and I think I can ... get ... them ... in ... my ... mouth!" — or the glory of a ball, or even when they get a little older and find out walking is fun.

Each stage of life's explorations can be a pure pleasure to watch.

Sometimes the discovery is the startling realization that one knows nothing about something they thought they understood.

In this university town there is an annual tidal ebb and flow of students arriving and departing from the community.

That inflow can bring 15,000 young folks to the community. About one-fourth of the new arrivals have never lived anywhere but with their parents.

The list of adjustments one must make when stepping out from under mommy and daddy's roof is huge.

I suspect a good percentage of these newly minted "adults" have labored under the impression that food, sodas, bread, eggs and frozen pizza actually come from the refrigerator. Then suddenly they find themselves in a residence with an empty refrigerator.

Beyond food, these poor souls also have to buy soap, laundry detergent and the host of other items that were always just "there" at home.

Male or female makes no difference. Gaggles of fledgling shoppers creep down the aisles in groups of four or five.

Varieties of potatoes, onions and especially peppers are mysteries that need to be inspected, fondled and debated.

Buying decisions are made by consensus often based on what they think they remember Mom used to buy.

Overall, watching these shoppers was not about what they purchased, or the snatches of conversation I overheard walking by. It was about their demeanor.

I know they came from home to the university thrilled with their newfound freedom and the legal and technical recognition that they are officially adults.

Suddenly they were thrust into a mundane situation for which they were astonished to discover they were unprepared.

They were scared, confused, bewildered. Food, toothpaste and toilet paper were necessities they really couldn't buy on the Internet, and there is no "app" for that.

I understand because I remember back 1 million and six years ago, by actual count, when I was a new freshman. My introduction into the adult world was learning how to use a checkbook. I'm still not good at it and my dear bride, the saintly Susan, is in charge of household finances.

Ultimately these kids will all get it. They will survive grocery shopping. They will find other challenges to be daunted by, and they still will be fun to watch.

Roger H. Aylworth is a staff writer with the Enterprise-Record. His column appears every Sunday and he can be reached at 896-7762 or @RogerAylworth on Twitter. Autographed copies of his two books can be purchased at the newspaper office.